This book - Scientology: The Fundamentals Of Thought is excellent beginning book on Scientology.       HOW DOES SCIENTOLOGY AFFECT YOUR LIFE? Scientology affects you in a big way once you understand what it is about. The benefits of learning Scientology are big immense. Let us start with the concept of what are you? Would it affect your life to know what is life? Likely it would. I would understand that you are a life-force, a spirit. Most people would agree that life does exist separate from inanimate objects, but what life really is, that is another subject all together and is what Scientology is all about. An example of what I am referring might better understood in another context. We all know that gravity exists. But what is it? We see the symptoms. Things fall, we are held to the ground by it. But what is it? What really is gravity? Show me a gravity particle. Knowing the symptoms of gravity are not the same as knowing really what gravity is. Scientists cannot tell us, so if someone were to ask you what gravity was you could not really tell them other than describe the obvious symptoms. Scientology is a bit like that. You can see life, you can see people laugh, smile, and weep. But what is it that is really smiling and weeping? Obviously that thing is called life. But really, what is it? Life is not just a pool of amino acids and proteins. If you think so, then pour some on a brick. It will not grow as life is more. But I expect you do not need to do that to know what I am getting at. Scientology is the study of life, and the application of it. Now, there is the theory of Scientology. But like all good theories they have to be able to be applied. That is what Scientology also is, the practical side through counseling. So if you were to know what life was, would you not be affected by such well known knowledge? Absolutely you would be. That is the benefit of learning Scientology, being able to know what you are, what your friends are. In life, if you do not know something you are certainly the adverse affect of it. But when you know something you are cause over it. Knowing life and being cause over it is great. Scientologists report better health, higher IQ, more zest in life. They can also help others a lot more. If you know about life and what life was you could also bring peace and calm to your work place, politics, your family and more. All these aspects of Scientology are important and affect you. I have personally done this many times, and have used Scientology knowledge in helping people, and including at disaster sites. People are quick to tell who can help them and who cannot. So these are the benefits of learning Scientology. The only thing I would add would be to buy a book and read it. See if it works for you and make up your own mind.